I no longer really play games, but I once played a lot. More than I care to admit.
One day I became interested in game development itself, and started reading about the psychology of why we play video games. I became fascinated by a book called "Glued to Games"[1], which looked at the question through the lens of self-determination theory. It suggested that we play games to satisfy our basic human needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. As I read the book, it suddenly became clear to me why I spent so many years of my life playing video games; I wasn't getting those needs satisfied anywhere else. Where would I have turned for that same fulfillment if I didn't have video games? Perhaps nowhere. In that way, games saved me. They kept me alive.
One day I became interested in game development itself, and started reading about the psychology of why we play video games. I became fascinated by a book called "Glued to Games"[1], which looked at the question through the lens of self-determination theory. It suggested that we play games to satisfy our basic human needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. As I read the book, it suddenly became clear to me why I spent so many years of my life playing video games; I wasn't getting those needs satisfied anywhere else. Where would I have turned for that same fulfillment if I didn't have video games? Perhaps nowhere. In that way, games saved me. They kept me alive.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Glued-Games-Video-Spellbound-Directio...